Life, Love and my passion for cooking

I grew up in Illinois in a small town. I moved to California in May of 2000.In that time I have experienced life, love and my passion for cooking. We now live in Nevada. I hope to take my passion for cooking to a new level.

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using a small spatula fold the mixture together until the dough is soft and pulls away from the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans or one large sheet pan. with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope or rolls. I decided to make 4 of each. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.Ideas for the pretzels and rolls:The rolls can be made into a delicious sandwich. Cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches are always really good for those hot summer evenings. Pretzels with mustard and a beer also go very well together! enjoy!